Owls Head Light Station
Encyclopedia
Owls Head Light is a lighthouse
located in Owls Head
, Maine
at the entrance of Rockland Harbor on Western Penobscot Bay
. The lighthouse was established in 1826. It is operated by the United States Coast Guard
and it is also part of Owls Head Light State Park.
es in operation in Maine.
In 1854, a keeper's house was built separate from the lighthouse. The cottage now serves as Coast Guard housing. A fourth order Fresnel lens
, in use until recently, was installed in 1856. A generator house and an oil storage building were added in 1895.
The light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as Owls Head Light Station in 1978.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located in Owls Head
Owls Head, Maine
Owls Head is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,601 at the 2000 census. A resort and fishing area, the community is home to the Knox County Regional Airport...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
at the entrance of Rockland Harbor on Western Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
. The lighthouse was established in 1826. It is operated by the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and it is also part of Owls Head Light State Park.
History
The lighthouse was designed by Green & Foster and Jeremiah Barry and constructed in 1826. It is a 30 feet (9.1 m) tall cylindrical brick tower on a granite foundation standing on top a cliff. It has one of the last six Fresnel lensFresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
es in operation in Maine.
In 1854, a keeper's house was built separate from the lighthouse. The cottage now serves as Coast Guard housing. A fourth order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
, in use until recently, was installed in 1856. A generator house and an oil storage building were added in 1895.
The light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Owls Head Light Station in 1978.